The Long Weekend
by ashihime
Summary: Ashi has come a long way from her embarrassing days in high school. The faux leather and cringe-worthy stunts of trying to be "cool" are memories best left to rot in a stockroom of some abandoned Hot Topic. On break, she returns to her old neighborhood for the long weekend. Unfortunately, she's not the only one…Shi—err "Jack" is here.
1. Chapter 1

Note/s: I decided to publish this first chapter, if you can call it that, of my Bad!girl/Nerd AU fic for the holidays. Life has been keeping me busy, but I enjoy jashi and sharing my stories, so here you go. Also, as per usual, the headcanoned last names for both Jack and Ashi (as well as Jack's first name) are chosen for reasons that have been explained in a couple of my other modern AU fics, just in case you're interested as to knowing why. Hopefully by next year, when my tasks are reduced, I'll have more free time to write. If there are any errors or typos, feel free to let me know! And please don't hesitate to share your thoughts!

* * *

The Long Weekend

* * *

"Ashi?" Ami's eyes widened as she opened the door. "God, is that really you? I hardly recognize you."

Her sister's surprise caused a corner of Ashi's mouth to quirk up.

"Really, Ami." She laughed. "You always say that when we video chat and _how_ could you not? We have the same face."

"The way you dressed in high school? Hardly anyone believed we were related. Well, don't just stand there, come in!"

Ashi followed her sister with her small suitcase, her eyes taking in the inside of the house she had not seen for almost half a decade. Their mother's desertion had done the place good it seemed. No more tattered wallpaper or stained carpeting. No matter how much Ashi and her sisters cleaned back then, their home could never look spotless and their mother objected to spending money on the house. Ashi could still remember her signature sneers. _"As long as the walls hold up, who cares what color you paint it!"_

"The place looks amazing." Ashi said, graciously accepting the cup of tea handed to her.

Ami made a dismissive wave of her hand. "Bah. I didn't do anything major." Still, her eyes glittered in admiration at her own handiwork as they sat in the living room space. The walls were painted with a sandy color, which allowed the natural light from the windows (which had always been shuttered close) to pour in and open up the space.

Never in a million years did Ashi think she'd feel comfortable here. She remembered how cramped it used to be with wooden and glass cabinets full of useless junk lining the walls. Ironically a lot of them had been "lucky" figurines and knick knacks that were supposedly good for feng shui, which apparently meant attracting dust. Ami had gotten rid of all of them save for the decorative red plates that now hung on the walls along with framed pictures of all the girls.

"I'm glad you could come for the long weekend." Ami said behind her teacup. "The other girls bailed. Boyfriends, girlfriends, and the "finding myself" vacation excuses."

After high school, the girls had split off to different places in different schools and ever since then, it was a rare occurrence for all of them to be gathered completely. Ami had stayed behind to take up interior design. The girls had joked that their living conditions growing up had emboldened Ami like a character waiting to enact revenge.

As for Ashi…

"So, how's college?" Ami asked, allowing herself to sink into the softness of her plush velvet chair. "Are they still buying your goody good girl act?"

Ashi felt her face prickle with heat. "It's not an act!" Ami still would not let her live it down—entering a women's private college. _Catholic_. "It's one of the top schools and I'm one of the best students there. Sister Olivia even assures me that"—

"Stop!" Ami tossed her head back in laughter. "_Please._ The image is still too much! You...Ashi Mazoku...surrounded by..._nuns!_ "

"Oh haha, laugh it up. You should be glad! I was able to come because of the religious holidays!"

"I _am._ Tell me, do you intend to join the convent afterwards? Your Shinto-born ass?"

"I'm not!" Ashi growled, leaning forward, as if ready to maul her own sister.

Ami didn't care, even when some of her tea splashed on her shirt. "I just find it so amusing after all this time. _You._ The wanna-be delinquent...ending up in a _fucking_ Catholic school!"

"No swearing!" It was a reflex response, from all the mentoring and freshmen orientations she'd done, and as soon as the words flew out of her mouth, Ashi groaned in annoyance, dragging a hand down her face.

Ami ate it up with relish.

"_No swearing?_ You're killing me! Oh God! Christ, Ashi! Oh wait, I shouldn't take your Lord's name in vain, should I? I'll do so in mine then. Amaterasu! Ebisu"—

"I'm going out for some air!" Ashi announced, slamming her cup down on the glass top coffee table, causing it to shake violently down to its metal legs. "Don't follow me!"

"_Oh come on, Ashiiii!_" Ami's half-hearted giggly whine followed Ashi as she marched out the back entrance of the kitchen. Her sisters always managed to bring out her temper, taking perverse pleasure from it. Well, she had changed! If it were the _old_ _her_, Ami would have backed down easily.

She shook the thought away, and focused on less annoying things in front of her.

The backyard had always been small. From Ashi's recollection, it had basically been a rectangle of uneven concrete with weeds sprouting from the cracks. Ami had changed that as well. Now the unsightly concrete was replaced with red bricks and the perimeter lined with potted plants and flowers against the backdrop of an ivy-covered picket fence. Begrudgingly, Ashi had to give Ami praise. The girl knew how to clean up a mess.

_Perhaps it runs in the family…_ She thought sardonically, glancing down at what she was currently wearing, a yellow-green crochet top tucked inside a patchwork skirt that was flowy and feminine. Running a hand through her hair, she noted how much softer it was now and how delicately it curled around her face. Ashi mentally shuddered, remembering the globs of hair gel she'd used in the past and how it more or less petrified her hair.

"Ashi!" A voice snapped her attention to the other side of the fence where the face of a small woman under a large floppy hat beamed at her, waving ecstatically. Ashi's stomach turned and hoped to hell— _heaven_ —that her reciprocated smile did not look like a grimace.

"Hi there...Mrs. Minamoto."

"Ashi, sweetheart! Come over here! I want to get a good look at you without having to be on my tippy toes!"

Ashi absolutely did not want to do that. But telling the older woman off and scurrying back inside the house like a rat did not seem like the best option despite her gut telling her otherwise. Like the stereotypical good Asian child, she reluctantly crossed over to her side via the shared creaky fence gate that obviously had not budged in quite some time.

Ashi brushed away some leaves and wood dust from her person as Mrs. Minamoto loudly voiced out her appraisal. "Oh, Ashi!" She cooed, the brim of her hat flapping from her excited fidgeting. "Oh my goodness! You're so much prettier now! That hair! And your outfit! Forgive me for saying so, but I never thought I'd see you in any color other than black."

Ashi just smiled and nodded throughout the ordeal of being cosseted and praised. Mrs. Minamoto had the uncanny ability of correctly identifying each of the Mazoku sisters, no matter how they changed their hair or wore their clothes. It bordered on the supernatural.

The older woman kept going on and on, asking the standard rundown questions people always asked at gatherings. _How are you? How are your sisters? How long are you staying? What course did you take? What year are you in now? Which school? How old are you now? Did you know (name of Asian acquaintance) is also in your area? Do you want their phone number? How was your commute here?_

Ashi answered every question perfunctorily, hoping she could find an opening for a polite exit.

Unfortunately, that would not be the case as the door from the Minamoto household swung open.

"Mother." A deep and clearly masculine voice called out that instantly filled Ashi with dread. "Where did you put my old reference notes?" He stopped midway down the porch steps, noticing his mother was not alone.

Mrs. Minamoto smacked her hands together in glee. "Shinjiro!"

_Shinjiro?_ Ashi tried not to gawk, especially at his appearance. He was wearing a wrinkled white shirt over gray sweatpants, his hair was wildly untamed and falling over his (really, really) wide shoulders, and to complete the sloppy aesthetic, he had a full-on _beard_.

_Shinjiro is supposed to be abroad! What is he doing here?!_ Her inner thoughts clamored as though he had no right to visit his childhood home without her knowledge. As though privy to Ashi's own questions, Mrs. Minamoto turned to her saying, "He's here on break from grad school."

In quick strides, Shinjiro joined the pair of ladies, towering over them and nodding politely at Ashi. If he smiled, she did not see it, hidden behind all that face-fur, but his eyes did sparkle boyishly. "Hello, Miss Mazoku. Long time no see. Let me guess, is it Aki? Avi?"—

"No silly!" His mother snickered, giving his arm a hearty slap. "It's Ashi!"

Ashi saw it...Shinjiro's face frozen in momentary shock before dissolving into a scowl. There was a flash of white where his mouth should be, which Ashi rightfully assumed to be a snarl.

"_Ashi._" He said, his tone now devoid of any pleasantries.

Ashi tried to swallow her nervousness. "Sh-Shinjiro."

"He calls himself Jack now. My frazzled mind keeps forgetting. His foreign friends stuck it on him." Mrs. Minamoto volunteered the information with an amused giggle. "It suits him, don't you think?"

Ashi nodded dumbly, her gaze pointed anywhere but Sh—_Jack._

"Well then!" Mrs. Minamoto squeezed Ashi's hand. "I'll leave you two to be reacquainted."

Before Ashi could protest, the older woman slipped away without so much as a glance back, fully convinced she was leaving two people to catch up and reminisce about the good times, completely oblivious to the animosity clearly emanating from her own son.

Mrs. Minamoto was the type of parent who could see no wrong in her only child, and why wouldn't she? When he'd been nothing but a stellar student and boy scout growing up? So if he decided to pursue a career of looking like a mountain man and growing a new species of black fern on his face, she'd fully support him with a watercan to his face (which appeared to have already happened).

The Sh—_Jack_ she had known was different. Way different. Perhaps his new name was for the best because Ashi could not reconcile the fact that the mild-mannered nerd of the past and this aspiring caveman in front of her were one and the same person.

Ashi wanted to leave, but she did not want to give Jack the satisfaction of seeing her flee like a coward. So, tilting her chin up, she looked him straight in the eye and in the most nauseatingly cheerful voice she used to wheedle her nunnish instructors, said, "Shinjiro—err Jack! It's been so long! How are you? Oh wow, it's been forever. I can't believe it! Time flies! Ha ha ha."

_Please_, she inwardly prayed to the patron saint of her school, _let him be taken aback by my new leaf...and make him forget how I screwed him over literally and figuratively in the past so that we can just be civil adults and sweep it under the rug._

Unfortunately, Catholic saints did not seem to heed the prayers of non-Catholics because Jack's glare wordlessly conveyed a message of _"I did not forget how you screwed me over literally and figuratively in the past so don't expect we can just be civil adults and sweep it under the rug."_

"Who are you trying to fool with that get-up?" He snorted, eyeing her from head to toe. "Did you _bully_ a hipster out of it?"

Ashi's smile weakened by a twitch but she kept the obnoxious cheer in her voice. "Oh Shi—Jack! You are so funny! Such a funny sense of humor! And wow! Your new look is so...uh...very…" Disgusting. Gross. Unsterile. "..._unique!_ It's so casual and"—

"Woman. Stop." Jack squeezed his eyes shut and brought a hand to his temple. "You're giving me a headache."

Ashi's smile instantly wiped clean off of her face, replaced with an angry frown.

"_Gee_," she mustered to keep her voice leveled, deciding he was not worth raising her voice for. "I'd have thought that your studies abroad would enrich your manners, not diminish them."

He rolled his eyes to the sky. "Oh, that's priceless coming from you."

"You know what? Your new look really _does_ suit you." said Ashi mockingly. "It belongs in the past, where you seem to be wallowing in right now."

"_Oh? Is that right?_" His voice rose in feigned enthusiasm, and Ashi—for a brief second—almost saw him. Back in their old classroom. _Shinjiro._ The clean-faced, sweater-vest-wearing nerd she had known. But the next deadpanned words shattered the image and replaced it with an entirely unwelcome one.

"Wallowing in the past seemed to involve wallowing in my bed."

"Y-You—_scum!_ " Ashi sputtered in outrage, her hands clenched at her sides. "I can't believe what a crab ass jerk you turned out to be!"

"And I can't believe what a pretentious poser you've become. Then again…" He rubbed his bearded chin as though in contemplation. "...That's not outside the realm of possibility considering you were one in high school."

Ashi made a beeline for the gateway that connected their family properties. She was not going to risk it. She'd worked so hard to get to where she was and she was not about to let this bitter mongrel get the best of her!

Clearly, it was better to leave him in his misery. Still, she could not help but toss him a parting shot. "You're nothing but a lowly soulless _pig_. Just being with you leaves a bitter taste in my mouth!"

And with that, she tossed her hair back haughtily and stepped back into her family property, smirking with satisfaction at how she handled the situation.

But Jack did not want her to have the last word.

"And being with you left a somewhat _salty_ taste in mine."

He never saw the pot of succulents coming.


	2. Chapter 2

_"God Ashi! I can't believe you knocked that loser's teeth out." One of the girls remarked before dissolving into a fit of laughter. "Broke his retainer and everything!"_

_Ashi buffed her nails against her leather jacket, face indifferent. "Well, he was asking for it, breathing in my space like a disgusting maggot."_

_"You're sooo cool Ashi." Another girl with a pierced septum remarked. "Nothing fazes you like at all!" The rest of the leather jacket-wearing group oohed and aahed at the recent anecdotes of their fiery onion-haired icon. They had looked up to Ashi the moment she first came to high school with her volatile temper and edgy personality and latched onto her as the prime example of a perfect delinquent._

_"I heard you got into so much trouble for posting that pic of you smoking joint!"_

_Ashi rolled her eyes, crossing her ankles as she leaned back against the steps of the stairwell they congregated at. "Please. It's not a big deal."_

_"Oh it is! You know that bad boy from that bad school from the bad side of town? Word on the street is he broke up with his girlfriend and he thinks you're like totally hot."_

_"His girlfriend was a dud in bed." One added with a snicker. "That shouldn't be a problem for you, Ashi. All things considering…" She emphasized her point with a crude hand gesture._

_Ashi snorted. "I don't go for amateurs."_

_"But he's really hot! You should call him."_

_"Yeah, Ashi. At least let us live through you!"_

_"What's another hookup? You can give us the deets."_

_One of them was suggesting calling the guy then and there when a deep baritone voice startled them all. "Loitering in the stairwell is prohibited."_

_They all looked up. At the top of the steps stood the student council president and resident killjoy. Shinjiro Minamoto . He scowled at them, books and folders tucked under his arm. His whole appearance was the definition of uptight, from his neatly combed hair to the tucked-in uniform shirt in his perfectly cut slacks. The pens clipped in his pocket protector were even arranged from lightest to darkest ink._

_"I will have to ask all of you to move."_

_The group groaned in annoyance but nonetheless stood up muttering insults at Shinjiro with a courageous few flipping him off as they went their separate ways. Ashi, however, remained._

_"Miss Ashi."_

_"Psh. Whatever." Glaring, she got up and pushed up the stairs, purposely knocking into him as she passed. Shinjiro immediately scrambled for his fallen papers, giving Ashi a good laugh as she moved along the corridors. All humor died however when she reached her beat up locker._

_A frantic string of curses ran in her mind as she let out a shaky breath. For once, she could not have been more glad for Shinjiro's interference! Because she wouldn't have been able to come up with an excuse on the spot. Not that she detested the idea, if anything, a hookup like the group suggested would boost her badass status even more. And with a renowned bad boy? She'd be a legend._

_There was just…one small, teensy-weensy, MAJOR problem..._

* * *

"You could have told me _he_ was here."

"Oh come on, _obviously_ he had just arrived or I would have. Give me a break!" Ami said testily, not bothering to lift her eyes off the magazine she was reading. "What does it matter? Haven't you guys moved on already?"

Ashi made a derisive noise in her mouth. "That neanderthal doesn't understand the concept of being a mature adult."

"Does throwing a perfectly good succulent at said neanderthal qualify as being a mature adult?"

Ashi groaned. "I'll replace it! In fact, I'll buy you a whole dozen. It was worth it seeing the look on his face." She snickered, conjuring Jack's angry disbelief from earlier in her mind. She had ruined his shirt—which Ashi thought to be an act of charity towards the article of clothing. Maybe now it might actually get to see the inside of a washer.

"You two are acting like kids." Ami stated as she flipped a page. "You kept saying that you guys weren't even in an actual relationship to begin with, so what's with all this hostility?"

Ashi visibly balked as soon as Ami posed that question. "Uh, no reason!" She said, a little too hastily and padded over to the corner of the room, pretending to marvel at Ami's ceramic collection that was displayed. "He's just a jerk, that's all! No need to look deeper into—oh wow, this one has such an interesting color!"

"Oh good eye! That one imitates a Jun glaze. The color is achieved by adding copper into the—_don't change the subject!_"

Ami tossed away the magazine and folded her arms with a huff.

"Seriously!" Ashi spun around, raising her palms in the air as though in surrender. "It's just a petty grudge. Kid stuff! In any case, I want nothing to do with him! It's done!"

"Careful, Ashi." Ami said, not bothering to hide her amusement with a smirk. "You sound just like one of those girls".

"What girls?"

"Those Hallmark movie girls, who go back to their hometown and are all _I'm so over him! I want to focus on my career! Christmas is going to be ruined!_"

"_Christmas?_"

"Then, against all odds, she gets together with the leading man and they smile and kiss like it's a toothpaste commercial. So see? Classic Hallmark. Well in your case, Asian Hallmark."

"Why on earth do you even watch"—

"The production sets are always nice. Gives me great design ideas."

Ashi stared at her in confusion before shaking her head in exasperation. "Nothing like that is going to happen! Because, hey, guess what? I hate his guts, remember? And I don't plan on being in the same room as that doucheface!"

"Oh." Ami sounded genuinely distressed at that, a pained wince flickering on her face.

"Yeah...about that…"

* * *

_Ashi was a virgin._

_Hell, she didn't even do drugs. The joint? Rolled up oregano. All this time, she'd been going along with people's assumptions of her since day one of freshman year. She had purposely chosen a different school from the rest of her sisters to avoid the curse of being known as just "one of the seven sisters"._

_Somehow her aura attracted the cool crowd, catapulting her to the top of the social pyramid. It was great not having to answer to anyone and all she had to do was beat up a couple of nerds and drop some salacious stories here and there (mostly lifted from porn videos) to be respected._

_Lately, however, everyone kept pressing her for more and more, taking her to parties where they would try to get her to take the drugs (which she'd pretend to do and fake being high). Flushing ecstasy was easy but when they would introduce her to different guys, they all expected a hookup to happen._

_And she wasn't emotionally prepared for that!_

_The mere thought made her freeze up. What if she messed up? They'd know in an instant she was full of crap. And **god **. What if it **really **hurt?_

_She was already in her senior year and she didn't know anything. Graduating a virgin? What a joke! She smacked her forehead against her locker, groaning in misery. She stayed like that for what seemed like an eternity._

_"Miss Ashi."_

* * *

"_You_ invited him to dinner!"

Ami was too busy checking on the soup to spare her sister a glance. But she did robotically reply to Ashi's derivative accusation. "Again. I did not invite him to dinner. I invited his mother to dinner, who asked if she could bring a guest."

"_And you didn't even bother asking who!_" The words were almost unintelligible as Ashi gargled them in frustration. But Ami, fluent in her sister's anger, had no problems.

"Mrs. Minamoto likes to introduce potential clients to me ever since I helped redecorate her kitchen, so I didn't think any differently, okay? If I had known your ex-not-a-boyfriend was coming, I might have handled it differently."

Ashi paced the linoleum floor, circling around the table. "It's fine. I can just go out and"—

"Yeah...about that…" said Ami, hesitantly peeking over to Ashi mid-stir. "I told her you'd be joining us."

"_Ami!_"

"Calm down! It's just one dinner." Ami slammed the lid on the pot as an exclamation. Wiping her hands on her apron, her eyes held Ashi's pleadingly. "Your lord and savior got through the last supper just fine, so just grin and bear it."

"And why do you think they called it the last supper?" Ashi scowled, her tone rising with a sweep of her arms. "Because he dies!"

Ami crossed her arms over her chest with a deadpan expression as she approached her sister. "My religious knowledge is limited." She said, before suddenly reaching for something behind her. Ashi blinked as a wooden spoon stopped mere inches from her face in a threatening manner. The real danger, however, was in Ami's words. "But if you ruin tonight's dinner with your crappy attitude, I'll make sure it's _your_ last supper!"

* * *

_"What do you want?" Ashi sneered, pushing away from the locker. Shinjiro's mouth was a grim line, his stern eyes looking down on her in a way that made her want to punch him in the gut. She shoved her fists into her pockets, not willing to risk the temptation._

_"Lunch is already over and you're not in the classroom yet."_

_Ashi blinked, her face sweeping the length of the hallway behind Shinjiro. Sure enough, it was empty. She must have spaced out longer than she realized._

_"I suggest you head back to the classroom." He sighed in a tired-of-this-bullshit way, as he removed a small notepad from his back pocket and one of his clipped pens. "If you persist, I will have to report you to the teachers again." He began scribbling in the pad._

_Oh god. Ashi fucking hated him. **Hated **him. The pompous way he carried himself. The way he talked to her like she wasn't worth his time. It had always been that way ever since her family moved next door to his._

_Her own parents had made them somewhat of a pariah in their neighborhood, with her smarmy father making enemies out of anyone for petty reasons, including Shinjiro's father, whose disdain undoubtedly set an example for his son to follow. And if they weren't an object of scorn, they were to be pitied, made clear by Mrs. Minamoto, neighborhood queen bee, who saw Ashi and her sisters as a welfare project by trying to involve the girls in charity events disguised as family activities._

_To be clear, Ashi's family did not come from paupers, how else could they afford a house and lot in a well-to-do neighborhood? It was only her parents' stinginess that made them out to be. With the poor state of their house and the children being let loose without care or supervision, it was easy for people to come to the wrong conclusions._

_Her parents weren't saints. Ashi and her sisters knew that fucking well. But the bullshit and judgment from strangers were unwelcome. And though she would always try and put up an uncaring front, it still stung deep down._

_Ashi already had her own personal problems to deal with and Shinjiro's presence did nothing to alleviate them._

_"Oh shut up, **Shit**jiro." She spat. "You don't get to tell me what to do, you loser."_

_He raised an eyebrow. Both of them knowing it wasn't like her to get all riled up over something so mundane. "Language, Miss Ashi." He said, after a while, shifting his tone to placate her. "I'll just leave you with a warning, just go back to your" —_

_"I said you don't get to tell me what to do!"_

_With that, she reached over and smacked his precious little notepad out of his hand along with his pen. It didn't go flying off as she had wanted but skittered down to the floor between them instead. She smirked to herself as she raised her foot, ready to stomp on the open pages with—_

_…_

_…_

_She blinked._

_Was she seeing things? Hallucinating? Because how in the world would it explain seeing her own name next to Shinjiro's on the ruled paper in Shinjiro's perfect calligraphy...with hearts. Hearts! And in one corner she spied her name...with his last name!_

_Ashi snapped her head back up to him, her outrage and shock evident._

_"What the fuck?!"_

* * *

"Hello girls!" Mrs. Minamoto beamed, kicking off her sandals, as she entered through the kitchen door, a rectangular pink box in her hands. "I hope you don't mind, I brought dessert."

Her cheerful attitude accentuated the vibrant colors of her outfit, a bell sleeved orange blouse paired with yellow linen pants. Ashi could not imagine someone with a dour personality pulling off such a look.

"I also brought my son with me."

_Speaking of dour…_

"Oh...hi." Ami's eyes rounded in surprise as Jack stepped into view behind his mother. Ashi could not blame her. He was quite a sight.

Mrs. Minamoto clearly must have bullied him into one of his old clothes that he had _clearly_ outgrown (whatever he had brought with him obviously did not meet her tastes). His blue shirt was left unbuttoned over a white sleeveless undershirt as the sleeves were too tight on his arms. If he attempted to strain himself, it would pop the seams easily. Ashi smirked in satisfaction at the thought…before catching herself from staring too long at the bulging muscles of his biceps.

She dropped her gaze for just a second and tried not to cackle. Unfortunately, the range of Mrs. Minamoto's influence did not extend to the sweatpants her son still wore. Still, she did manage to pull off a feat in bringing her neanderthal son up a few scales in human evolution.

"It's been awhile…" Ami went on. "You go by Jack now, right? It has a nice ring to it."

Jack smiled at her. "Thank you. It's very nice to see you again, Ami. Thank you for inviting us."

He then shot Ashi a quick glance and nodded to her in toneless acknowledgement. "Ashi."

Ashi crossed her arms, lifting her chin up defiantly. "Jack."

"Oh Ashi!" cooed Mrs. Minamoto, passing the cake box to her sloppy son to stand beside the startled girl. "Look at us! We look like a matchy set!"

Ashi blinked in surprise, assessing herself. Their outfits were hardly the same, so she probably only meant the color scheme. Ami had insisted that she and Ashi change into something nice, with the former donning a violet shift dress cinched at the waist with a belt. Ashi chose a yellow gingham dress that reached mid-thigh and a pair of black thigh-highs.

"Umm yeah, we sure do..." said Ashi, indulging the older woman. From the corner of her eye, she could see that Jack was studying her intensely, which inwardly made her bristle. He was probably coming up with insults to use later on about her appearance like earlier. What a fucking jerk.

"Please!" Ami piped in, "Let's go to the living room. I'll have everything set up." As their guests moved to do so, Ami grabbed her sister by the arm, whispering harshly in her ear.

"When you said neanderthal, I thought you only meant figuratively!"

* * *

_Shinjiro flinced in response, his pallor whiter than chalk. "Wh-what do you mean…?" He asked, his voice cracking up in a painful way. Slowly, he bent his knees to collect the fallen items. With his stiff movements, Ashi half-expected his joints to creak in need of oiling._

_When he straightened back up, Ashi pointed at the notepad with accusation. "Explain **that! **"_

_"Explain...what?"_

_"Don't play dumb! Why does your stupid notebook thing have my name written all over it?"_

_"Uh...well…" He was wincing, his eyes darting around as though an excuse would materialize out of thin air. For the first time in her life, Shinjiro, with his tall build and imposing demeanor, looked small and frightened like a deer ready to take off...or her father when her mother asked to see the bank statements of their joint account._

_"It's nothing…" He finally said, but he was not convincing himself any more than Ashi._

_Ashi huffed in annoyance, her hands coming up to the level of her face with the need to strangle something. "Stop trying to hide it! Why would you" —_

_Then suddenly, everything just clicked in place inside her head. Her eyes widened even more than it did as her mouth dropped open along with her hands._

_"No…" She shook her head to him, as though instructing him to deny her suspicions. But the sudden flush on Shinjiro's face and his inability to look at her made it only more painfully obvious. "You…" Ashi struggled with the words she never thought she'd ever say in this or any lifetime, "... **like **me?"_

_He did not say anything, still baring his profile to her as his jaw trembled. Then, he brought a shaky hand to cover his eyes as his mouth exhaled an answer._

_"...Yes."_


	3. Chapter 3

Dinner was a benign affair. Something Ashi was grateful for. Most of the conversation was carried out by her sister and Mrs. Minamoto.

She was seated across from Jack, who sat beside his mother. She handled the nuisance of the arrangement by focusing on her meal, trying to pretend the hulking dumbass did not exist. The food was a wonderful distraction at least. Each person had a small platter of seafood with seasoned rice and vegetable soup. Even with just that, the table was already crowded.

Ami had long ago replaced the massive scarred up table of their childhood with a much narrower oval one made of reclaimed wood. She dressed it up for the evening with a polka-dotted tablecloth and matching table napkins. Ashi didn't understand why Ami bothered. Especially when she had warned her that Jack would ruin the aesthetic.

Jack had not spared her a glance since they sat down, content to push food through the furry hole in his dumb face. She hoped he ate more hair than mussels.

As she was picking up a roll of shrimp, Mrs. Minamoto's face turned to her suddenly. "So how's school?"

Ashi almost dropped her chopsticks. "Oh, well…" She kept her voice low, not wanting to further the discussion, especially when they had already covered the same topic just this morning. She had only vaguely mentioned being in a private women's college. Mrs. Minamoto didn't need to know more than that, especially with _Jack_ here.

"You know, same old, same old..." Ashi hoped the older woman would leave it at that and get back to her sister.

"She's so modest." Ami joined in, much to Ashi's dismay. "Did she tell you she's been on the dean's list since the first semester she started?"

Mrs. Minamoto beamed at this information. "Ashi! That's wonderful! You shouldn't downplay your achievements! Isn't that right, Jack?"

Jack grunted, engrossed with his food.

"You and your sisters are all clever girls." Mrs. Minamoto went on. "And your Lady College is lucky to have you."

Ami's eyebrows rose, reaching the ends of her short blunt fringe. "Lady College?"

Ashi panicked internally, shooting Ami a desperate look. Surely, she'd get it, right? They were sisters bound by blood and should therefore immediately pick up on her distress and—

"You mean Our Lady of Divine Mercy College."

There was no blood between them at all.

There was a momentary silence at the table, broken only by a choked sound. Everyone turned their heads to Jack who was struggling to breathe, slouched over and slapping the table with his open palm. His mother quickly stood over to his chair, smacking his back in maternal panic.

"How many times have I told you to slow down? Drink some water!"

Ami hastily set out to refill Jack's water glass.

They were wasting their time. Ashi thought, who was burning in embarrassment. Even with Jack's head ducked and face hidden by his beard, she could make out the small smile as he tried to stifle his own laughter.

* * *

_The small janitor's closet Ashi chose for their impromptu meeting was musty and cramped with cleaning supplies. And with Shinjiro's large frame, it was downright claustrophobic. There was barely any breathing room between them unhelped by the lack of ventilation. Still, Ashi decided it would do._

_She pulled the dangling chain from the ceiling, and after a flicker or two, the naked lightbulb poured in some much needed light._

_Shinjiro looked frightened, shadows casting under his eyes and she could see the bobbing of his adam's apple. A sheen of sweat combined with the yellow cast of the light made his cheeks look waxy._

_"So." Ashi glared up. "Mind telling me what liking me is all about? Because this is one joke neither of us will be laughing about."_

_"It's not a joke. I'm serious about my...um…feelings."_

_Ashi rolled her eyes. "Uh huh and magical farting dragons exist. Come on, what's your game here? Who's setting you up?"_

_Shinjiro's brows sunk over his eyes. "Why is that so hard to believe?"_

_"Because! You're you and I'm me! Nobody will ever buy the story of the perfect student president having his heart set out for the delinquent. This isn't some stupid shoujo manga! They'd sooner believe the earth was a rhombus and"—She suddenly stopped, mouth frozen on her next word. Above her, the light bulb gave another flicker, coinciding with the spark inside Ashi's brain._

_"Ashi?" Shinjiro waited, tilting his head to the side like a hopeful puppy. Ashi took this time to study him. **Really **study him._

_Shinjiro was, as much as she hated to admit it, **good-looking **. In fact, if he wasn't such an uptight perfectionist, girls would undoubtedly express more interest. Oh, he seemed nice enough from what she saw at a distance, at least to other people who weren't her crowd. But even then, there was always this invisible gap that yawned around him, as though he were better than all of them. A feeling Ashi resented._

_Jack shifted his eyes nervously, keenly aware of Ashi's scrutinizing gaze, with the color in his face deepening. **Yes, **Ashi thought, sealing away her own ego to fully appreciate what was in front of her. **He is handsome **._

_His eyes were dark and intelligent with thick straight brows framing them perfectly. He had a generous chin but his defined jawline helped even it out. Below his well-proportioned nose was a shapely mouth with soft-looking lips._

_Lips perfect for kissing._

_Practice kissing._

_And **more **._

_Ashi smiled, causing Shinjiro to return it out of nervous reflex. He almost jumped back when she set a hand to his face, the heat of her palm cupping his cheek._

_"Shinjiro." Ashi said, in a tone she'd never use on him before. It sounded...nice, pleasant. "How about...we strike a deal?"_

* * *

Jack snuck her glances during the rest of the meal, a combination of amusement and smug condescension in his eyes. It took all of Ashi's willpower to not send a chopstick flying over to gouge an eye out. Mrs. Minamoto probably wouldn't enjoy that and Ami would likely kill Ashi for not having the courtesy to commit the crime _after_ dinner.

_As if he had any right to mock her!_ Ashi fumed as she sipped her soup while glaring pointedly at him. For God's sake he looked like a yodeling mountain hermit who made moonshine for a living. So what if she was in a Catholic school? She had made a name for herself and built a sterling reputation. Everyone loved her, she was considered a big sister to her underclassmen. Someone worthy of admiration.

_God._ She'd do anything to strike down that arrogant expression of his.

It was when she set her bowl down did she feel it. A weight of pressure on her toes and a brief flash of discomfort.

She blinked.

Did he just... _step_ on her?!

Her eyes sought his in angry disbelief. Jack only raised one eyebrow at her in askance, playing ignorant.

_Oh haha! That's real mature!_ Ashi thought in annoyance.

If he was going to act like a kid, then so would she!

She poised her leg under the table, aiming to hit his shin with her foot. But just as she moved, Mrs. Minamoto made a startled cry that threw off her momentum and shifted her aim.

"Wolf!" exclaimed the older woman as a giant white dog plopped its furry head on the table, which camouflaged the sudden jolt of the furniture.

Wolf eyed the table spread greedily, tongue lolling out.

"You beast! Where did you come from?"

"He must have snuck past while the door was open." Ami surmised with a laugh. "Probably hid under the table to get scraps."

Oh.

_Oh._

Ashi felt her very soul recoil at the two realities of the situation. Firstly, the fact that it was not Jack who stepped on her foot but his family dog. And secondly...there was no delicate way of phrasing it.

Her foot was now on his crotch.

Ashi stared at Jack in wide-eyed horror, who passed her the same look, eyeballs practically bulging out. Thankfully for him, the surprise caused by Wolf tampered her initial force, explaining why Jack wasn't bowling over in pain.

Ashi felt sick. Through the nylon of stocking, she could feel the lint-covered fuzziness of his sweatpants covering his groin as her instep rested atop his...well...said groin.

_I should probably move it._ She thought, cringing awkwardly. _Like now._ She was about to do just that when the second most unexpected thing happened, almost causing her to scream.

She felt it. Jack's foot brushing against her other leg.

* * *

_Shinjiro eyed her like she was insane, as though she had just suggested harvesting organs and not an exchange of virginity._

_"Ashi...what...y-you can't be...but…this is...what?!"_

_**God **, he was a sputtering mess._

_They were seated inside a family restaurant with hardly any customers, in the farthest booth beside the restroom, allowing some much-needed privacy (and an escape route for Ashi should someone they know enter). Ashi had chosen this discreet location to launch her proposition of propositioning him (and perhaps get a free meal out of it too)._

_Ashi rapped her knuckles on the laminated surface of the table. "What's wrong with it? We'll both get something out of it."_

_"But this is so… **crude **." Jack flinched, as though saying the last word caused excruciating pain. "I...want to get to know you slowly and then"—_

_"Look at it this way!" Ashi cut him off with what could only be described as maniacal glee. "We'll be skipping the boring parts and getting into the fun stuff right away."_

_Shinjiro's lower lip trembled, looking at her with wounded eyes. "But...I want the boring stuff too."_

_"Ugh. Go figure."_

_"I want emotional intimacy, not just…" He blushed a deep shade of red all the way to the roots of his hair as he struggled to finish his statement. "... **sex **."_

_…_

_…_

_"What? Like cuddling?"_

_"Well, I mean, **yes? **But I also want to do other things like go out on dates, watch movies or"—_

_"Whoa there." Ashi stopped him again, shaking her head slowly. "This arrangement is strictly confidential. Nobody must ever find out."_

_Shinjiro's mouth dropped open in disbelief. "A **secret **relationship? Is that what you're saying?"_

_"Well, I wouldn't call it a relationship"—_

_He abruptly stood up, tossing his school bag over his shoulder. "Well, I'm sorry I can't do this."_

_Ashi panicked, rushing to a stand and blocking him from exiting the booth. She looked up to him imploringly. "Shinjiro, come on! If you like me as you claim you do, then isn't this like a dream come true?"_

_He sighed. "Ashi, please…this arrangement...isn't me. It's downright cruel even. You're making light of my feelings towards you."_

_Ashi frowned. "Well you certainly expressed them perfectly before. Treating me like I was someone beneath you. Turning your nose up at me every time I passed by."_

_Shinjiro didn't deny it and had the decency to be shamefaced about it. "I didn't mean to...well, you always break the rules...so I can't just…"_

_"I'm giving you a chance." Ashi's determined voice carried on. "I have my motives, sure. But I'm willing to give you some allowances if it'll make you comfortable."_

_This caught his attention._

_"Allowances?"_

_"I'm willing to negotiate is what I'm saying."_

_The seconds seemed to tick an eternity as they held each other's stare. Finally, Shinjiro relented, his face etched with defeat as he lowered himself back inside the booth and grabbed a menu card._

_"Let's negotiate then."_

* * *

Jack nodded along to Ami's funny anecdote of something that happened in the supermarket, chuckling at the appropriate moments as he plopped more food into his mouth.

Ashi, on the other hand, was trying to keep her sanity with his foot nestled all the way inside her dress under the table. She spread her legs as best as she could without disturbing the tablecloth wadded on her lap. This was especially difficult as she still had her own foot pressed against his crotch.

She tried to steady her breathing as Jack pushed his big toe against the crotch of her underwear, deliberately curling it near her most sensitive spot that quickly dampened with pleasure. She had to bite her inner cheek to keep from moaning. His ministrations made her want to melt in her seat. Her own attempts at returning the favor were half-hearted at best, lazily stroking along the hard ridge of his bulge with her foot. Jack did not seem bothered by this or so she thought…

When Ami launched into another story, Jack leaned forward as though he was hanging on to every word, propping an elbow on the table to rest his hand against his cheek. Ashi almost choked on her own saliva as his other hand encircled her ankle. Then, he guided her foot, firmly using it to rub along his clothed erection, applying more pressure to his liking. He accomplished all this while remaining attentive to both the conversation and Ashi's clitoris.

Well, he was always good at multitasking.

Ashi could feel a spasm building inside her. Tendrils of prickling heat spreading beneath her skin. Her underwear was soaked through but he continued to mercilessly strum the nub of flesh in rhythmic circles.

Ashi was doing her damnedest to not squirm in her chair. It was a miracle she was even still sitting upright, the desire to arch back and toss her head was potent with every jolt of teasing pleasure centered between her thighs.

She pursed her lips tight when Jack pushed his toe deeper against the drenched fabric between her swollen folds, which may as well have been bare. The friction, so delicious, made Ashi pulse with addictive need.

His body's response also added to the fire in her blood. His cock was aching for her, so thick, and ready and—

"It must be _hard_, isn't it, Ashi?"

Jack and Ashi immediately withdrew their leg from the other with chairs scraping and knees bumping against the underside of the table, which startled both Ami and Mrs. Minamoto.

"_Um, I beg your pardon?!_" Ashi asked in a voice that was unnaturally high and scratchy.

Mrs. Minamoto repeated herself.

"I asked if it must be hard to be away from your sisters all the time. I get lonesome easily, even when my husband is just gone for a week on business."

"_Oh! Uh! Yeah! I mean no! We um chat! All the time! So it's no big deal!_"

Ami narrowed her eyes at Ashi. "Why are you yelling?"

"You look a bit flushed, dear." Mrs. Minamoto commented. Then, her eyes lit up with an idea. "I know! Let's have some of the chocolate mousse cake I brought." She turned to her son. "Honey, could you get it from the fridge?"

"Um…" Jack hesitated, his eyes cast downward. While his beard obscured most of his face, his bright red ears were hard to miss. "I'm sorry, I can't stand...my...um..._foot_ is asleep."

* * *

_Romance._

_In exchange for Ashi's sexual demands, Shinjiro wanted romance. Because unlike most men who thought with their dicks, Shinjiro listened to his heart like a lovestruck maiden._

_They shook hands on it in the restaurant after a chicken steak dinner. To give this secret "relationship" (he insisted on calling it) a chance. For six whole months, roughly what was left of the school year._

_**I can't believe this. **Ashi grumbled in her head, as she ducked under the cover of night to creep over to his house. **I can't believe I'm going to fuck him. **_

_It was the weekend, no one would expect her to stay at home and by a stroke of luck, Shinjiro's parents were out of town to visit relatives._

_When she reached the front door, she shot him a text. The door opened almost instantly. She quickly ran in, tugging her shoes off._

_Ashi tried not to stare in awe. They'd been neighbors for years but this was the first time she saw the inside of his home. It was immaculately clean with polished floorboards and white walls that looked freshly painted. Every piece of furniture and ornament seemed to have a place, as though designed for an editorial spread in one of those home and living magazines._

_"Can I get you a drink?" Shinjiro asked, who looked way too dressed up in his own house, wearing a blue polo shirt and a pair of black pants. God, she could even smell his cologne, which she had to assume belonged to his father._

_He tried to help her out of her leather jacket, but she shrugged him off and did it herself._

_"Um…" He smiled nervously, running a hand through his shinier-than-usual hair. "I have dinner prepared for us."_

_"Dinner?"_

_He led her to the dimly-lit dining area and Ashi tried not to groan. He had set up a cozy candlelit dinner for two all right, complete with silver covered trays and flower centerpieces. When he pulled up a chair for her, his eyes practically sparkled._

_When it came to romance, Shinjiro apparently did not fuck around._

* * *

"_Well_." Ami gave Ashi's shoulder a pat. "You could have been more talkative but you managed some form of civility. So, good job."

Ashi's head nodded robotically as she stacked the dirty plates on the table. Ami quickly took over for her. "Hey, I'll load the dishwasher. Can you sort out the trash? I'm beat. I did all the cooking after all."

"...Sure."

"Oh and Wolf is still around so don't shut the gate until he's back on their side."

"...Okay."

"Wow, such a chatterbox."

Ashi left the kitchen with the trash bags to take to the bins outside. As she sorted through the combustible trash, she wondered which bin she should jump into herself.

Shortly after dessert, Jack had excused himself and rushed out like a man fleeing from a crime scene. Ashi couldn't fault him as she was currently trying to locate her own dignity.

As much as she wanted to blame everything on Jack, she couldn't. She had actively participated in their literal under-the-table shenanigans, and eagerly so. The moment his foot skimmed up her leg, it was as if a switch had been turned on and logic flew out the window completely.

_God_. She trembled in horror. _With his mom and her sister just **there! **In plain view! Sitting innocently at the table! None the wiser that their respective kin were no better than farm animals!_

She felt a dry heave coming up and Ashi tried to tamp it down.

_What the hell was wrong with her and Jack?!_

* * *

_Ashi surveyed his room, blinking at the walls in surprise. "**Huh.**" She said, studying the movie posters tacked on there. "I didn't know you liked Kurosawa films." Actually, there was a lot of things she didn't know about him. Her basic knowledge of him consisted of only "perfectionist" and "nerd"._

_Shinjiro shifted the weight on his feet. "I...enjoy old samurai movies."_

_"Who would have thought?" She snickered, as she sat down on his bed, testing how it bounced._

_Shinjiro dithered near his bedroom door, as though ready to bolt at any given moment. He eyed her warily like a cat keeping distance._

_Ashi rolled her eyes. His behavior didn't surprise her anymore. The way he led her up to his bedroom? One would have thought he was a man about to be executed._

_**Well**, she had humored him with dinner, it was time to get her end of the bargain. She dug something out from the back pocket of her jeans. It was a page she tore off from one of her mother's magazines. She unfolded it from the tiny square and smoothed it out on her lap._

_"There's like fifty positions here!" Ashi beamed, holding it up for him to see. Shinjiro quickly averted his gaze from the tiny cartoony depictions of people having sex._

_"I figure we start off with the basic missionary before we work our way up to something like this." She said, pointing at "Position #23: Bang Bang Wallbanger"._

_Shinjiro lifted his gaze to the wooden beams on the ceiling, looking as though he were about to cry._

_"Get over here already." Ashi barked, discarding the paper to his nightstand. As she reached for the hem of her shirt to strip, Shinjiro quickly strode over to her, catching her wrists in his hands._

_"C-could we start slow?" He asked, bent over, with a trickle of sweat on his temple despite the centralized air conditioning. "Maybe um...kissing first?"_

_"We can do that naked."_

_"Well I… I want it to progress naturally from there. **Please?**"_

_It grated Ashi how she had to dance to his tune all the time. But if this was the only way to get him into his own bed with her, then so be it._

_Shortly after agreeing to his stupid request, Shinjiro dimmed the lights of his room to an amber glow and grabbed his phone charging on his desk._

_"What are you doing now?"_

_A singing voice answered her question, accompanied by old-timey instrumentals playing from his phone speaker._

_Ashi stared at him in open-mouthed disbelief._

_"You made a playlist?!"_

_"I wanted to set the mood…"_

_"Set the— **Jesus Christ**, this isn't a honeymoon!"_

_"But I want to make it special for us." He said, plopping down beside her on the bed._

_Ashi, trying not to have an aneurysm, forced herself to exhale long and hard. When she was calm enough, she turned to look at him, tilting her chin up. Her hands were shaking, so she hid them behind her back. She didn't want to give Shinjiro any ammunition to back out._

_"**Well?**"_

_He just stared at her for a long time in silence, once again trying Ashi's patience, which she had little to begin with._

_She was about to yell at him again when he set his hands on her shoulders. He stared down at her and there was a glint in his eyes she could not identify, but she swore it made her heart skip a beat._

_He swallowed, and Ashi saw that lump of nervousness move down his throat._

_"Ashi…" Shinjiro whispered, no higher than the soft music playing in the background. "Permit me to kiss you."_

_Her breath caught in her throat when he leaned over, slowly closing the gap between their faces. Ashi shuddered the moment his lips brushed against hers. It was soft and featherlight, yet it made Ashi's lashes flutter to a close._

_There was only one word to describe it._

_Magical._

* * *

Ami went to bed and Ashi, knowing sleep was impossible in light of recent events, retreated to the back garden instead. Leaning against the rough wall, she released a shuddering sigh into the night air as she slid down, holding her knees together as she squatted down forlornly.

A clicking noise against the brickyard caught her attention and she looked up to find Wolf guiltily emerging from behind the bamboo pots.

His head was hunkered down along with his tail, his pale blue eyes looking up at her with canine chagrin, almost as if to say, "_Yeah, sorry I inadvertently caused you and my master to have weird foot sex under the table. My bad_."

Ashi sighed, forcing a smile as she gathered herself up. "It's okay, Wolfie." She said, giving him a pat on the head. "Let's get you to your side of the fence."

She carefully led him by his collar until they reached the threshold of the fence. With a playful slap on his rump, she sent Wolf flying over to the other side like a speeding white bullet.

Ashi laughed, leaning against the fence gate, ankles crossed, watching as Wolf ran around, chasing imaginary prey in the moonlight. Then, he sped up again as he rushed over to—_oh no_.

Like a bad slasher movie, Jack appeared from the shadowy darkness of the tree that canopied their front gate. He ignored Wolf's excited greeting, gently pushing him away as he made his way to—_Our Lady of Divine Mercy!_ He was heading straight towards her.

The hairs on Ashi's nape stood on end as she pushed away from the gate. The expression on his bearded face was indiscernible in the dark but she could only guess he wasn't happy.

As he stalked closer, Ashi tried to formulate a plan of action. Should she apologize? Laugh it off? She supposed it was better to hear his piece first before deciding what to do. After all, she may have been the one who technically started the mess at dinner, but it didn't explain why he would—

Ashi's thoughts came to a screeching halt as Jack shoved her roughly against the fence gate and kissed her. Hard. The hair on his beard chafed her skin, a sensation that added newness to the familiar ones surfacing inside her.

Before long, she was kissing him back, matching his ferocity with her own. Her hands clawed their way to his nape, biting into his skin before moving up his scalp. She grabbed at his hair, causing him to growl into her mouth.

Then, he pulled away unceremoniously, yanking Ashi into a steel trap one-armed embrace as he closed the fence gate, shutting out any potential interference from Wolf.

Then, before Ashi could even blink, he was hauling her up against the gate with his strong arms. Her legs wrapped around his waist as he pinned her there, her stockings rolling down on their own. She held on to his shoulders, feeling the skin from where the seams popped in his shirt, as he rucked up her dress.

Jack fished for something in his pocket. Ashi realized it was a condom as he ripped the foil package open with his teeth. Then, he wasted no time by pulling down his sweatpants and briefs to put it on.

"Ashi…" Jack grunted into her ear as his fingers slipped between their bodies to drag aside her underwear. "Permit me to fuck you."

Ashi squeezed her eyes shut, reveling in the throb of his cock against her aching flesh that leaked with desire. She wanted this just as badly as he did.

No, _needed_ it.

The "yes" barely left her mouth when he plunged himself inside of her with one deep thrust. She had to muffle her voice into the crook of his neck, to keep herself from screaming aloud the pleasure he was slamming into her.

_Fuck._ It was magical.


	4. Chapter 4

Note/s: As usual, if you find any errors, I'll rectify 'em at a later time.

* * *

_Clutching the soft wool cotton blanket to his chest, Shinjiro turned his head to Ashi with a smile. His eyes sparkled above his bright red cheeks as strands of black hair wisped softly over his sweat-sheened face._

_"That was wonderful." He said, sighing with utmost contentment._

_Ashi met him with the corner of her eyes and with a sigh of her own, but one of exasperation._

_"Uh huh."_

_At her tone, Shinjiro instantly frowned, propping himself up with an elbow. "Ashi, is something the matter?"_

_Ashi ignored his question, choosing to roll over on her side so that her back was facing him. "I'm fine. Just tired. Let's call it a night."_

_Rather than heed her suggestion, Shinjiro placed a hand on her shoulder. "Ashi? Are you all right? Are you upset with me?"_

_"No." said Ashi, but her tone spoke otherwise. She tried to pull away from Shinjiro's touch but his hand remained firmly in place._

_"Did I do something wrong?" He asked nervously. "Did I not...please you?"_

_He felt her stiffen under the blanket, which to Shinjiro confirmed his suspicions._

_"Ashi…" He prodded again. "Talk to me."_

_Ashi turned back around, eyeing him with a frown. "Look, let's not make a big deal out of this."_

_"Ashi. Please. I need to know. Were you not satisfied? Did you not…" A pause. "...come?"_

_Ashi groaned in secondhand embarrassment, gritting her teeth while covering her eyes._

_"Please! I have to know." Shinjiro went on. He was obviously not going to drop the subject anytime soon. "Whatever you have to say...I can take it!"_

_She took a deep breath as she removed her hands from her face. Eyeing the ceiling, she reluctantly gave an answer._

_"No, I didn't."_

_He did not take it well._

_"Ashi. I am so sorry." He whispered in a voice so low and scratchy that Ashi had to look at him to make sure he was not crying._

_"Don't worry about it." She assured him. "I read that it's normal for your first time to not end with a blinding orgasm."_

_Shinjiro moved closer. "I'll do better!" He declared, the blanket lowering to reveal the surprisingly well-built body she had been acquainted with all night. While the night had opened up with a few disappointments, his physique was not one of them. Especially downstairs._

_"Shinjiro, relax." She said, forcing her wandering gaze back up to his glazed eyes. His lower lip was jutted out like a child's, trembling with worry._

_"Please, Ashi…" He all but whimpered. "It is not fair to you. Perhaps you could guide me? Instruct me on how to...pleasure you."_

_For Ashi, it felt as though she had ventured past the threshold of acceptable cringe. As she was about to reject him, the desperate glimmer in his next words took her by surprise._

_"Ashi. Please. I will not rest until I satisfy you."_

_It was an agonizingly long minute as Ashi considered it. But when she finally did, she sighed and pushed the covers away._

_"Get on top then."_

* * *

"Wow, you're up early."

Actually, Ashi had stayed up all night in the kitchen trying to piece together her life after Jack fucked the brains out of her but felt that was information Ami did not need to know.

"Want coffee?" Her sister asked, stifling a yawn as she searched for the coffee tin in the cupboard.

"No...thanks…"

"You sure? You sound like you could use some."

"No! Please, I'm fine. Really!"

After putting on the coffee pot, Ami took closer inspection of her sister's appearance as she pulled herself a chair.

"You slept in your clothes?" She could not help but laugh. "I didn't think dinner with the Minamotos was that exhausting. Jack hardly said a word to you at all."

Oh, but he made good use of his mouth last night—"I dunno…" Ashi coughed. "I guess I was just jet lagged. Ha ha..."

"Huh." Ami blinked. "Didn't you come by train?"

"Train lagged then!" Ashi hastily stood up with a huff. "What's with this inquisition so early in the morning?!"

"Wow. Aren't you testy." said Ami, rolling her eyes with a snort. "You know what?" She scraped back her chair. "You can sit back down, I'll just water the plants. Your company better improve when I get back."

She was out the door before Ashi could find her tongue to apologize. _Great._ She thought, rubbing her eyes. _We're rolling downhill from last night, aren't we, Ashi?_

Ashi winced in shame as she replayed the events of yesterday. She had acted like some wanton hussy with Jack, mewling at his every touch and begging for more. And mercy above—did he _give_ it to her...repeatedly!

Her moment of clarity had only come when she disengaged from his dick and made a quick getaway. Cowardly done while Jack was busy putting on the next condom.

Ashi slumped back down into her chair, her chin cradled over her knuckles, wondering how she was supposed to go about things. Yes, she fucked Jack. But it did not have to mean anything despite their...history. But then again their...history was the very reason things turned out the way they did last night. _No, no no._ Ashi shook her head. She need not overthink. This Jack was different from the Shinjiro she had known. All gruff and assholish. With a beard to boot. And given how..._forward_ he had been last night, it probably meant he did this sort of thing all the time!

After all, he was studying somewhere in Europe. Who knows what kind of scandalous things he had been exposed to over there.

_Yes._ She found herself nodding, seizing the rationale. It was probably that. It was only a one night kind of thing. Probably something to get out of his system and she just happened to be there. The more she turned it over in her head, the more Ashi believed it.

However, instead of feeling unburdened, she felt strangely numb.

* * *

_"Two bowls of your signature super spicy ramen please!" Ashi exclaimed as she pushed past the noren of her favorite hangout. "Extra scallions on mine."_

_The owner and only working staff at the hour merely nodded as he set off to prepare the order._

_Shinjiro, with his height, had to duck inside the entrance as he followed Ashi. They sat at a table in a far corner, right next to a water dispenser. Ashi took their empty glasses and filled them without having to leave her seat._

_As she slid a water glass to Shinjiro, Ashi noticed his eyes swing wildly around their surroundings, as though inspecting for every crack and crevice on the wall or broken tile. He looked squeamish too, like he was expecting a cockroach to come flying out of nowhere and land on his face. Sighing, she broke off her chopsticks and deftly captured his nose between them, lining his sight to her annoyed glare._

_"Stop it." She hissed. "You look like you're from the health department. The food is good, that's all you need to know."_

_Shinjiro pulled back and rubbed the bridge of his nose, his thick eyebrows weighing over his worried gaze._

_"I did not mean to be rude…" He said. "It is just that we're here so late and"—_

_"Never broke a curfew before, huh?" Ashi cut in with a roll of her eyes. "Live a little."_

_"We could have just had ramen at home." Shinjiro pointed out. "It's already three in the morning, and I don't think it is safe to be"—_

_"Two signature specials, extra spicy."_

_Ashi's mouth watered as the owner laid out two bowls of steaming ramen on their table. She immediately set to work in breaking apart the soft boiled egg while giving the noodles and toppings a good swirl. Shinjiro, on the other hand, dipped his chopsticks into his broth with caution._

_He pulled out a strand of noodle and said. "It is...red."_

_Ashi narrowed her eyes at him as she took a noisy slurp from her bowl._

_"Try it." She instructed, watching with anticipation as he took his first mouthful._

_His eyes lit up as he looked at her. "Ish gud." He beamed, then the spice kicked in and he broke into a cough. Ashi cackled evilly as he reached for his glass of water, emptying it in one gulp._

_"Sho schpicy." He panted, fanning at his tongue._

_"Well, duh." Ashi shook her head in bemusement as she took his glass to refill it. "But you get used to it. I always come here when I'm in a good mood."_

_Shinjiro blinked in disbelief, obviously unsure as to why anyone would consider intentionally burning off their taste buds. "You do?"_

_"Of course." Ashi kept a straight face as she handed him his fresh water. Then, she waited until he resumed eating to break into a lewd grin. "Having your first orgasm is something to celebrate, right?"_

_Ashi laughed as Shinjiro made an audible choke before spitting out tiny chunks of noodles onto the table, broth dribbling down his chin and nose. He was none too pleased as he recovered, shooting Ashi a disapproving frown she had seen countless times before in the school hallways. However, this one did not make her anger boil or fill her with petty glee._

_Shinjiro grabbed some extra paper napkins from the table behind him to clean up the mess._

_As he patted the front of his shirt, he gave Ashi a furtive glance under his sickeningly long lashes. She noted the color rising to his cheeks and ears._

_"I am glad I was able to make you happy." He said._

_"You're not bad, Minamoto." She replied. "It's late for me to say this, but I still can't believe you actually agreed to this. Not that I'm complaining."_

_"Well…" He gulped, raising his head to meet her eyes. "**I like you.**"_

_The toasted seaweed she had just picked up fell from her chopsticks and back into her bowl._

_Since accidentally discovering Shinjiro's feelings for her, Ashi had no cause to give it another thought. He had confirmed it more than once, especially by agreeing to their unique arrangement. However, this was the first time he had truly verbalized it, which in turn, made it her first time to receive a confession._

_Through the years, Ashi had made fun of a couple of her sisters and their penchant for shoujo manga and romantic films. She never could abide by the cheesy "doki-doki" nonsense or understand its mass appeal._

_But then...she got her first kiss. On the very same night she lost her virginity. So many firsts actually._

_It was odd, while she ended up genuinely enjoying their amateur debauchery, there was something about their first kiss that stood out to her. Ashi could best describe it as going to a big concert but getting a song from the opening band stuck in her head instead._

_"Enough sap!" She said, breaking away from her annoying thoughts. "**Eat**. And as per our agreement, you can decide on whatever dumb romantic thing you want to do next, just not in public, okay?"_

_"But Ashi…" The corners of Shinjiro's eyes crinkled with mirth. "We **are **out in public right now."_

_It was a fact pointed out with a boyish grin. One that disarmed her completely, even more so the full-bodied laughter that followed. She had never seen him like this. So...normal, without the stiff formality that was ingrained in him. He was like an entirely different person._

_"Even more…" Shinjiro said, still chuckling. "**You **were the one who suggested we go out."_

_"Oh shut up!" Ashi sputtered, trying to pass off the reddening embarrassment on her face as anger. "It's just some hole in the wall ramen. It doesn't count."_

_"I would like to disagree." He said, smiling so widely that his cheeks crested. She continued to glare at him, all while trying in vain to ignore the weird flutter in her stomach. **Probably the spice **._

_"You're pretty annoying, you know that?" She said, grabbing one of the wads of napkins he used to clean the table to chuck at him. This only made him laugh again and Ashi almost joined him._

* * *

Ashi was almost startled out of her own skin when she opened the door to the back garden to find Mrs. Minamoto standing there.

"Oh Ashi!" The older woman lowered her hand that had been poised to knock. "Are you and your sister terribly busy? I need one of you."

She was wearing a blue cashmere dress with a designer purse dangling from her elbow. Ashi, on the other hand, was dressed in her lazy house clothes. Loose pajama bottoms and an oversized shirt that had been a promotional giveaway from a ketchup brand. Ashi had only wanted to get a whiff of fresh air in the garden, intending to isolate herself indoors the rest of the day.

"Ami went on an errand. So it's just me." She replied, immediately regretting not taking up Ami's offer to do groceries and errands with her. Whatever Mrs. Minamoto wanted from her, there was a possibility it could involve some form of contact with her son. And _that_ she already had plenty of.

"Oh thank goodness!" Mrs. Minamoto sighed in relief. "I have a roast in the oven cooking for three hours but I forgot that I had a meeting with the neighborhood association. Would it be a bother if I could have you watch it?"

It was not a bother.

It was an invitation to a disaster waiting to happen.

"Um, _Jack_ couldn't?" Ashi asked, forcing on a sweet smile. She hoped her hand on the door went unnoticed, her fingers were twisting the knob in an urge to slam the door.

Mrs. Minamoto huffed as she stamped her foot. "He left early in the morning. Probably to the library to work on his thesis. I'm not sure when he'll be back and he hasn't replied to my calls or texts."

"Well I…"

Mrs. Minamoto flicked her wrist to check her pearl-studded watch. "There's only an hour left. All you'd have to do is turn off the switch and leave it there."

She stepped forward, her eyes pleading with Ashi's as though the fate of the world depended on the outcome of her roast.

"Oh _please_, Ashi."

* * *

_"Mm. There." Ashi purred her approval as Shinjiro's lips curved down the column of her neck, planting soft kisses on her skin. His arms were braced on either side of her head, caging her against the wall. They were on his bed, the sheets wrinkled beneath their shifting weight._

_Just as Ashi's fingers slipped beneath the hem of his shirt, Shinjiro abruptly pulled away. He began fixing the loose strands of hair from his face as his legs slid down the edge of the bed._

_"Back to reading." He said, reaching for the books on his nightstand._

_Ashi frowned as he handed one to her. Sighing, she leaned back against the wall cross-legged, scooting a little so he sat beside her._

_"You're such a nerd."_

_"Come now." Shinjiro said, propping the book on his raised knees. "We must not neglect our studies."_

_He had only agreed to Ashi coming over, so long as they could do homework together. Ashi naturally agreed, thinking he could easily be led astray with a form-fitting tank top and bike shorts. Clearly, she had underestimated his self-control._

_"Bah." She muttered. "I don't care about school."_

_"I disagree."_

_"Oh, really now?" She dropped her book to her side and nudged him with her shoulder to annoy him. This only made him chuckle as he turned a page._

_"You are smarter than you let on." Shinjiro explained. "Your grades never fluctuate and you have kept steady place in the middle tier rankings during exams."_

_Ashi eyed him strangely._

_"I have no idea what you're talking about."_

_He turned his head to look at her, his mouth drawn into a tight line, parallel to the straight deep set of his eyebrows. "And I have no idea why you think holding yourself back academically is necessary. I rather wish you did not."_

_"Please! I really don't care." Ashi insisted, pulling up her knees to her chest. "Why do you think I'm always getting into trouble? You of all people know that better."_

_"Yes, but well...over time, I notice things."_

_"Like what?"_

_"How with the exception of me, you never pick on anyone unless there is a reason." He closed his book and set it down beside him. "Take for instance that student whose retainer you broke. He had been spreading malicious rumors about a freshman girl in school and while I certainly do not support violence"—_

_"Can it!" She grabbed one of his pillows and thumped him with it. "Don't try to paint me as some benevolent hero."_

_Shinjiro pulled the fluffy weapon away from her, tucking it behind his back to the wall._

_"Well, you are not much of a villain either."_

_"Huh." The corner of her lips tugged into a playful smile. "And here I was thinking you had a penchant for bad girls." She moved quickly on her attack, straddling his thighs down as she reenacted their previous position. Only this time, their roles were reversed. Lowering her head, she whispered. "Like a secret thrill." She felt him squirm as she blew hotly against the shell of his ear._

_"Need I remind you…" Shinjiro's voice squeaked. "...you are the one who wants things kept secret between us."_

_"Shhh...less talking." She commanded, her hands coming to rest on his broad shoulders. She stared straight into his eyes. Then, her lashes fluttered to a close as she slowly dove in to close the gap of their lips._

_She was only a breath away when Shinjiro's fingertips came between their mouths and gently pushed her face back._

_"Agreed." Shinjiro said, his face all flustered. "Back to studying."_

_"Ugh." Ashi flopped away in disgust. "You're no fun!"_

* * *

It was fine. Ashi kept telling herself.

It would only be for an hour.

More importantly, Jack was out. So, she had the whole Minamoto household to herself. Creeping inside, she saw not much had changed since the last time she was there, save for a few rearranged furniture here and there, as well as new carpeting. The major changes came in the kitchen, where Ami had lent her expertise.

It was given a more stylish, modern update. The wooden-slat cabinets had been replaced with a marble-washed slab type that matched the granite countertops. The flooring was no longer vinyl but polished stone tiles in soft blue without any visible grout. Adding contrast to the overall sophistication, multiple lamp fixtures of wired metal were installed.

Ashi pulled herself up on a stool next to the island counter, where a toaster and decorative fruit bowl sat. Her position allowed her to face the built-in oven. The glass door was lit up and Ashi could see an aluminum-wrapped hunk of something inside of it. The wafting aromas of slowly cooked meat and lemongrass made her stomach gurgle.

Mrs. Minamoto had told her she could help herself to anything in the kitchen, but Ashi did not want to take her up on it. What if Jack walked in while she raided their fridge? Dressed like a slob no less! Mrs. Minamoto had practically rushed her out, giving her no time to change.

This morning, she had been resolute about wanting to avoid Jack. Showing up inside his own house was not doing that.

_No!_ She chastised herself. His mother had mentioned him being out for most of the day, so that was something in her favor. She would probably be long gone by the time he came back.

Her apprehension subsiding, she slumped forward over the counter, arms outstretched. The surface was cool to the touch, which made her sigh contentedly. She had not gotten any sleep with, well, after all that had happened. She yawned, pressing her cheek against the granite surface, eyelids drooping.

_A little nap couldn't hurt..._

* * *

_In boredom, curiosity stirred._

_They had been studying—or at least Ashi pretended to—in lengthy silence after Shinjiro rebuffed her advances. She was stretched out on his bed on her stomach, her eyes inspecting the back of his head. He had retreated to sit on the floor against the side of his bed, holding a book up with both hands. She could see he was about halfway done with a chapter._

_"Say...why do you like me?"_

_That got his attention._

_Shinjiro lowered his book and twisted around to look at her, his eyes startled wide._

_"How on earth did that happen?" Ashi went on. "Out of all my sisters, why me?"_

_Shinjiro folded his arms over the edge of the bed, propping his chin on them. His lips pressed thinly together in thought as he quietly regarded her._

_"We have been neighbors for a long time." He finally said._

_"Yeah, that sure helped things along." Ashi snorted, as she pushed herself up, legs tucked to the side. "Our families aren't exactly sympatico."_

_"My father does not like your parents, yes." Shinjiro admitted, injecting a nervous chuckle. "But whatever issues he has with them, I can assure you he does not hold any ill towards you or your sisters."_

_Ashi found that hard to believe. She never saw anything but a permanent frown set on his old man's face the rare times she spied him._

_"I know how he can come across…" Shinjiro continued, bent on making his family look good like the typical golden child. "But he really means no harm. My mother also really likes you girls."_

_Ashi snorted again, rolling over onto her back to face the ceiling._

_"No offense, but your mom is weird." She said. Not that her own mother was any better._

_Shinjiro was not slighted by her words. "I know. Did you know she can tell all of you sisters apart?"_

_"Huh?"_

_"You never notice how she always gets your names right on the first try? I know you all have these distinctive hairstyles, especially you…" From the corner of her eyes, she saw his hand make a quick sweeping gesture above his head, alluding to her unconventional hair. "But the slightest change could throw anyone off but not her."_

_Now that Ashi thought of it, Mrs. Minamoto never once fumbled with their names the way other people often did. Even their own mother had a hard time getting it right. Then again, their own mother hardly cared._

_"She always wanted a daughter," Shinjiro said, "and she gets fed up with your mother sometimes, saying how she does not know how to spoil any of you right, so she takes it upon herself to do it."_

_Ashi wanted to tell him wrong. It was all for appearances. His mother only wanted to make herself look good. Ashi and her sisters were nothing more than a charity case. But somehow, she could not make the words come out, weighed down by a heavy feeling in her gut. Had she been wrong about Mrs. Minamoto? Or was it just Shinjiro bolstering his family image?_

_"...Anyway, it shames me to say, but I was always jealous of the attention she showered you and your sisters."_

_"Wait." Ashi snapped her head to meet his eyes. "Are you telling me you're a mama's boy?"_

_Rather than deny it, a wash of color flooded his cheeks. "It was just a phase." He admitted with much chagrin. "One I have outgrown." He hastily added._

_Ashi could not fight her giggle. "Really now?"_

_Shinjiro pulled himself up from the floor, and took a spot at the foot of the bed. Grabbing her ankles, he placed her feet on his lap. Ashi made no protest as she had become quite fond of his massages. It was one of the romantic gestures she did not mind._

_"Yes, I never understood why she bothered." He said, rubbing his thumb deeply into the heel of her left foot. "Especially with you. And I guess that is what spurred on my fascination towards you."_

_Ashi who had been humming in bliss, blinked open her eyes. She raised herself up on her elbows to better scrutinize him. "How so?"_

_Shinjiro's hands kept going along with his explanation. "Well, I did not like you at first. You were quite the menace to me growing up. But living next door to you showed me different sides to you..."_

_Ashi watched in fascination the different expressions playing on his face, his eyes filled with warmth and emotion._

_"I would see you fixing your sisters' uniforms or socks when you headed out for school, wiping their noses even. In middle school, you would boast about having spent the weekend going to wild parties when I know you actually spent it doing chores." He paused to laugh. "You were full of contradictions, it kept me occupied trying to work them out._

_"You're not giving me a straight answer to my original question." Though Ashi had asked, a part of her wondered if she truly wanted to hear the answer. Somehow, this conversation was brokering unwarranted feelings that were strange and uncomfortable._

_"The summer before high school. That was when I realized I liked you." He elaborated before she could ask. "You had a yukata on for the summer matsuri. I was on my porch reading. You did not notice or maybe you did not care. You were talking to one of your sisters and mentioned how excited you were to be starting in a different high school from them. When you mentioned which school, and it was the same as mine, I was...happy."_

_His ministrations on her feet stopped, not that it had registered with Ashi._

_"You always acted indifferent towards me." She pointed out, intent on breaking the silence that was growing meaningful between them. She tried to recall his dark scowls and lofty demeanor in the corridors and classrooms._

_It was not an easy task. Not with Shinjiro smiling at her. A smile so radiant, it made her want to look away._

_"Sour grapes, I suppose." He said. "It was easier to think you would never return my feelings. I would like to think that now...that could change."_

_Not if Ashi could help it._

_She was going to nip this sappy delusion in the bud before it could go any further. And fast._

_So...she gave him a blowjob._

_It was so effective in taking his mind off things that he forgot to finish his homework._

* * *

Ashi's eyes blearily opened, pain shooting from between her shoulder blades up to her neck. She groaned as she straightened herself up, blinking away her disorientation and rubbing her nape. With the back of her hand, she wiped some drool from the corner of her mouth. It took her a second to remember where she was. She was inside the Minamoto kitchen, watching Mrs. Minamoto's roast. She had taken a quick nap.

Yawning, her eyes searched the wall clock above the refrigerator for the time.

She nearly jolted out of the stool when she did.

She had dozed off for two hours!

_Oh no._ Terror struck her. _The roast!_

She clumsily leapt down, almost falling over her own feet to get to the oven. She was reaching for a nearby oven mitt when it dawned on her. There was no billowing smoke of a cooking fiasco. Then, she peered into the dark chamber of the oven and realized there was no roast at all. She had lost Mrs. Minamoto's edible child!

"You're awake."

The hair on Ashi's arms stood on end. Slowly, she spun around to find Jack under the archway of the kitchen. It took all her fortitude not to collapse.

Jack showed no emotion whatsoever as he looked at her. The beard certainly did not help. He wore a dark blue shirt that seemed to be molded onto him, perfectly defining the muscles Ashi had been reacquainted with. His thumbs were hooked inside the front pockets of his denim jeans, which clung to his thighs all the way to—Ashi quickly pulled her gaze back up.

"Um…your...uh...mother…" Ashi winced, hearing how stupid she sounded. "She...um, asked me to watch her roast."

Jack's eyes narrowed at her critically. He did not need to say anything. They both knew she had failed at the simple task.

"I moved it to the microwave." He told her with a shrug. Then, in the same placid tone, said. "_No one can ketchup with us._"

Ashi blinked, wondering if she had heard him right.

"What?"

"Your shirt."

Instinctively, Ashi crossed her arms over her chest, her face burning hotly with humiliation. As though it was not already mortifying enough to encounter him again after last night.

"Mother should not have bothered you with her roast." said Jack, shaking his head a little.

This made Ashi flinch with guilt.

"Is it…" She gulped, envisioning Mrs. Minamoto's crying face. "...badly burnt?"

A dark eyebrow shot up to his forehead.

"I do not see why it would be. The oven had an automated timer set."

…

…

"_Come again?_"


End file.
